Shaun King: Last Chance To Register To Vote!

As you already know, the upcoming midterm elections may very well be the most important and consequential of our lifetime.

I know it seems like somebody says that for every single election, and maybe it was true then, I don’t know, but I’m positive that it’s true now. In 4 weeks, the future of this country is in our hands.

Not only do we have the power to flip the House & Senate on the federal level, finally providing some type of checks and balance to Donald Trump, but all over the country we have important elections for governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general, district attorneys, sheriff, mayor, city council, state legislature, school boards, and so much more.

And unlike the presidential election, in every single one of these elections, whoever gets the most votes wins. It’s that simple.

I truly believe we are going to show up in 4 weeks like we did 10 years ago when we elected Barack Obama, but I’m concerned because over the past 10 years Republicans have changed voter ID laws and fought tooth and nail, every chance they got, to make it harder and harder to vote. They know that if we show up in big numbers, we win. It’s that simple. We outnumber them.

That’s why I need every single person listening, and everybody you know, to make sure that you are actually registered to vote. All over the country, people who properly registered, last year, or several years ago, or even earlier this year, are getting to the polls and finding out that they’ve been purged from the voter rolls.

Listen to me.

In 15 different states, today is the last day you can register to vote in November.

That’s Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, New Mexico, Nevada, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, and Texas. That’s nearly 1/3 of the states and nearly 50% of American voters. Those states where voter registration ends today represent many of the states with the highest number of Black voters and essential races with breakthrough candidates like Stacey Abrams and Andrew Gillum.

Let me make it plain.

Do not assume you are properly registered to vote. That goes not just if you are in any of the 15 states I just named, but to every single one of our listeners.

We’re going to post all of this information on BlackAmericaWeb.com – and I will also post all of this on my social media accounts, but listen to me.

I am going to provide you a link to go to the exact website in your state to make sure you are registered.

I just tweeted it. I’m going to post it on Facebook and Instagram as well.

I trust that link and trust the information there as well.

Do that first. Follow the instructions there.

And after you do that, go to Vote.org.

It’s going to allow you to check your voter registration status, it’ll help you understand what steps to take if you aren’t registered, and it will also show you your polling location when it comes time to vote.

Listen to me – this is chess not checkers.

It’s not enough to simply want change. It’s not enough to simply hope for change. We’re going to have to make it ourselves.

I am 100% sure that many of these elections are going to be decided by a tiny number of votes. Earlier this year my team and I lost an election in Dallas for District Attorney by 500 votes. It came down to just about ½ of 1% of the votes.

Your vote matters. It counts. All over the country, in states and districts where we normally have no chance at winning, we’re in the fight.

And it really could be your vote, and your families votes, and your friend’s votes, that could make all of the difference.

And let me close with this thought.

After you check your voter registration status, and after you register if you need to, I want you to spend the next 4 weeks learning about all of the races where you are going to cast your vote. It’s not enough to just vote for governor and senator, we have to use our vote wisely.

I’m going to help give you some resources to consider over the next few weeks, but you are going to have to put in the work and ask people in your own city, in your own neighborhood. All of those races matter.